


And You Shall Rue The Day

by Qem



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Gen, Love, Possessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-05-03
Packaged: 2018-01-21 18:24:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1559786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qem/pseuds/Qem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Caw Caw”, said the Raven to The Duck. “I win!” It was guaranteed of course, what chance does a duck stand against a raven?<br/>“That’s nice,” said the duck. “What were we playing, again?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	And You Shall Rue The Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [labicheramure](https://archiveofourown.org/users/labicheramure/gifts).



  


“Caw Caw”, said the Raven to The Duck. “I win!” It was guaranteed of course, what chance does a duck stand against a raven?  
“That’s nice,” said the duck. “What were we playing, again?”

It's a summary of how, Rue feels sometimes after her conversations with Ahiru. Ahiru is… competition... nice… on a completely different wavelength. It would be nice if they could be friends, and sometimes Rue feels that possibility. But when it comes down to it, Mythos is Rue’s everything and she’ll pick him over everything else. She doesn't have time for friends. She doesn't have the heart to sort out complicated feelings. There is Mythos and there is everyone else. That's the way it needs to be.

  


  


Mythos is quiet, and his personality is rather muted, but there are moments where his kindness shows through. He remains a constant as Rue grows, almost as if he’s waiting for her to catch up.

It’s so easy to love him. It’s so very easy to be inspired by him to becoming the best that you can, in order to be worthy of his gaze.

He’s always willing to step in and save her, when she needs him the most he’ll reach out and help her and knowing what he’s really like makes her love him all the more. He’s rescued her, he’s pulled her heart out of darkness and into the light, made her so very light on her feat, and introduced a beauty to her dance. 

And Rue just knows she can help him be happy, if he’ll just follow her lead. She knows what’s best for him after all. She wants to protect him, like he protected her.

One day she’ll be big enough to show him the way.

  


  


It’s nice being able to look Mythos in the eye and have him agree with her suggestions. He is her precious prince; a doll ready to be moulded to her commands, pliable and agreeable. Whatever decision you make, that’s fine and he’ll follow along unless he becomes distracted, or someone, usually Fakir, steps in with a different one.

Rue is glad, it makes life easier. He’s hers after all. For how else can you guarantee that someone will love you back, when it’s more complicated than simply asking them too? She’ll never grow tired of hearing him echo her words back to her.

(Even if she may wish that they’ll come unprompted. But wishes are pointless, if simply wishing was capable of achieving things, then she wouldn’t be in the position of wanting to make a wish now, would she?)

  


  


Unless someone else steps in and asks them to love them too, of course, that will make it much more complicated. Rue will need to work much harder to monopolise Mythos’s focus, if she wants to prevent him from being lured away. She finds herself sympathising with Fakir’s plight of trying to keep Mythos grounded and safe. He just doesn’t seem to understand when people are acting in his best interests.

Rue loves him so much, and one day he’ll recognise why it’s best he stays with her. At least without his heart, it’s easy to bring him back. She worries what will happen if actually becomes his choice to go elsewhere.

(It’s so easy to see why he’d prefer other people. Rue is dark on the inside, a raven that repels people away from her. Even her own father struggles to love her. It would be so easy, so easy for him to pick someone else. Someone who is surrounded by friends, filled with the kind of light that Mythos can’t help but be drawn to even when he is a fragile shadow of what he could be.)

She needs to make it so that, even if he strays he’ll have to come back.

  


  


She finds herself shocked by how much she misses his smile.

  


  


Tutu’s power comes from the story, even though she plays only the most minor of parts. A real princess is worth far more surely, so what could Rue do if she were to draw upon that power?

It’s dangerous, but Drosselmeyer cares not for who the winners are. As long as she keeps him entertained, he’ll agree easily enough to her happy ending. She can control this right?

  


  


Fakir wants to change his fate, but there’s no changing fate, only delaying the inevitable. (“Doesn’t that mean Mythos will leave you anyway in the end” her heart whispers, in a place deep down that she ignores.) 

Fakir would never lose in a fair fight against her ravens, but she does not plan to give him one. The stupid knight is in her way, and she will not allow anyone to get in her way. They'll regret making her an enemy, going against her interests.

But even she can agree that Princess Tutu’s dance is beautiful, even as it pushes her out of the story.

  


  


Breathe in deep. Father knows best and Mythos has returned to her. He’s something else now, there’s a spark of life, utterly unlike the puppet he was before. Mythos is wild now, untamed, and yet so beautiful. She’ll follow him forever.

  


  


Everything is a lie. She’s ruined everything. No one can love her; that thing isn’t Mythos anymore. She regrets everything.

Actually. There’s one thing that isn’t a lie. There’s only one thing Rue knows to be true now, only one thing left – one thing that can never be taken away. Rue loves Mythos deeply and totally. If her own actions haven’t worked, then she’ll try putting her faith in someone else.. 

Mythos is her everything and she’ll do anything to protect him after all.

  


  


Princess Tutu has always been her most eloquent when she doesn’t use words, her actions and dance has always been her most effective weapon. It’s enough.

  


  


  


**Coda:**  
Rue’s been part of a story all her life, even if much of it was a delayed one. The side story, that builds up tension and expands the world, before it starts in earnest. But living in Mythos’s kingdom… It’s like a dream, Mythos is still quiet and reserved but always quick to respond, and is definitely not an echo. She's not the competition anymore, she doesn't have to be there, be first, Mythos chose her and every day is wonderful. Rue regrets the choices she's made in the past - Mythos without his heart is just an echo of what he really is, it's incomparable to the feelings that the real him, is capable of inspiring.

But luckily, life keeps her too busy and full of joy to have time for regrets. She’s looking forward to telling Ahiru about it, next time she goes to visit.

  


  



End file.
